The last four years has been the worst in terms of developmental trajectory of Abia North Senatorial District. It is the four years in which the senatorial district missed the service of Senator Mao Ohuabunwa, who had four years previously shone like a star in the Red Chambers of the National Assembly and ably represented Abia North with a lot to show for his efforts.
The last four years had been traumatic for the people of Abia North whose mandate given to Senator Mao Ohuabunwa was hijacked by a usurper who was enabled by some corrupt people in the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the court which ordinarily should be the last hope of the common man did not do any better despite the spirited efforts made by Mao to retrieve his and Abia North’s stolen mandate.
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Abia North has paid dearly for this evil done against them, because former governor of Abia State Senator Orji Uzor could not match the vibrancy of Ohuabunwa at the Senate, thus Abia North was neglected and forgotten. The people watched helplessly as their senator, Kalu, was convicted by a court of law and for several months Abia North was left like an orphan. The zone is yet to recover from what it lost while Orji was in jail and his sloppy representation after he was later freed. Senator Orji Uzor Kalu had been an unmitigated disaster for Abia North in the Red Chambers.
It was a disaster foretold given his disastrous record as the governor of Abia State for eight years. This is not to tell people of Abia North, not to vote for Orji Uzor Kalu, because they never voted for him in 2019. It is to tell them to vote for Senator Mao Ohuabunwa as they did in 2019 and this time protect their votes.
The reasons why every reasonable indigene of Abia North or resident of the zone would vote for Mao are too numerous, but the most important of which would be his track record as Senator of the Federal Republic between 2015 and 2019. In the area of infrastructural no local government area in the zone was left behind by Senator Mao Ohuabunwa.
The projects that he executed have stood the test of time unlike Senator Orji Uzor Kalu that built a road that could not last up to three months before the road he executed and commissioned with fanfare began to disintegrate and finally washed away by the elements.
It is also on record that many sons and daughters of Abia North through Senator Mao Ohuabunwa were employed in several federal government ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) more than anything Kalu has ever done. Also, several indigenes of Abia North were enlisted in the military and paramilitary organisations through the instrumentality of Senator Ohuabunwa. Abia North people cannot and should not put their future and the future of their unborn children in the hands of Orji Uzor Kalu, a man who plays politics without principle and changes his positions as fast as he had made it. This is a man that has brought shame to the people of the senatorial district in his desperate bid to be relevant. Abia North people as proud Igbos does not bow to anyone under any circumstance, however the way that Orji has been bowing to Tinubu since Tinubu emerged as the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate had exposed him as a man ready to do anything for his self-aggrandizement and never in the interest of the people. This is not withstanding that Tinubu took what rightly belongs to South East, as all men of conscience agreed that the APC should have micro-zoned its presidential ticket to South East since South West has produced former president Olusegun Obasanjo and vice president Yemi Osinbajo for a combined period of 16 years.
Instead of Orji to fight for South East presidency for which he said that he was the most qualified in January 2022 he cowardly retreated from that noble quest, because there has never been anything noble in his antecedents over the years. He moved from saying that he wants to be president down to claiming that he was ready to be a cleaner if the senate president Ahmad Lawan emerges the president of the country.
According to the former governor in the interview on Channel Television before the APC presidential primaries he lied that, Lawan’s presidential ambition was gathering steam with some candidates ready to step down for the Senate President. “I want to tell you, I have spoken to nine candidates running for president, and they are ready, already discussing to step down for Ahmed Lawan,” Orji had claimed. By the time APC held the primaries Lawan was defeated roundly and not one person stepped down for him. Lying and deceit had been second nature to Orji Uzor Kalu and thus does not deserve the vote of Abia North.
If Orji Uzor Kalu could not develop Abia North when he had near absolute authority as the governor of Abia State why should the senatorial district trust him that he would bring dividends of democracy from Abuja? This is a man who was alleged to have pocketed the ecological fund that was released by the former President Olusegun Obasanjo administration to tackle the gully erosion that has continued to hamper economic activities in Isuikwuato local government area that is under Abia North.
Since Orji Uzor Kalu loves to be a cleaner or domestic staff in the presidency, Abia North people should reject him at the February 25 poll so that he could get the job that suits him and elect Senator Mao Ohuabunwa who has shown excellency in lawmaking both as a lawmaker at the Green and Red Chambers respectively.
Besides, Abia North cannot afford another four years of uncertainty as the corruption allegations against Orji Uzor Kalu by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for which he was jailed is still subsisting and can be activated at any time thereby depriving the people of the senatorial district a voice in Abuja as Kalu would be more busy battling for his freedom and have less time for the things that concerned Abia North. On the other hand Senator Mao Ohuabunwa is clean. He has no skeleton in his cardboard. There is no allegation of corruption against him by the EFCC or the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC). He would therefore have enough time to concentrate on his duty as a legislator and work for the good of Abia North. This senatorial election in Abia North should be about character the people can trust, capacity to deliver on promises, accountability and transparency. Mao Ohuabunwa fits the bill.
When the people of Abia North file out on February 25, 2023 to vote for their preferred senatorial candidate that would represent them effectively in the next Senate, there is no doubt that they will vote Senator Mao Ohuabunwa who has track record of effective, efficient and Godly representation. We hereby recommend Ohuabunwa to the people of Abia North, as the man who will give them a voice in Abuja, which they never had since 2019.
-Written by Uchechukwu Okoroafor from Abuja